Fight
by BrianaRamma
Summary: A school field trip takes a turn for the worse when several students from Anchor Beach are involved in a serious accident. The accident leaves Stef and Lena with a big decision. Do they keep the faith that their daughter will pull through this? Or do they take her off of life support and let her go in peace?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_**Stef's POV**_

Agony. That's the only word I can use to describe the way that I'm feeling right now. Pure agony. I never thought that I would have to feel this kind of pain. It's the pain that no mother ever wants to feel. It was one of my greatest fears. The fear of getting that call. The call that one of your children may be dead.

I can hear the doctor talking to me, but I can't really make out any of the words that he's speaking. Not after he already told me that Lena and I would have to make a decision. The decision to continue care or pull the plug and let nature take its course.

How did this happen? How did a school field trip turn into this decision? The decision to basically give up on my baby.

"Mrs. Adams Foster?" The doctor pulls me from my thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I asked if you would like to see her."

"I…I have to speak with my wife. She's on her way. She had a lot of worried parents to calm down back at the school in Mission Bay. She's the vice principle. I still have to tell her about this. She doesn't even know about this yet."

"Mrs. Adams Foster, I understand that you still have to discuss this with your wife. But, I asked if you wanted to see her."

Do I? Do I want to see what she looks like right now? She won't look like her. She won't smile at me like the way that she always does when I walk into the room. But, I have to. I have to be there with my baby, no matter what might happen next.

"Yes, I'd like to see her."

"Okay, you can follow me right this way," the doctor says as he starts walking down the hall of the ICU. I follow him, looking around at my surroundings. This place is so depressing. People here are either in critical condition, possibly dying or are waiting for their loved ones to either pull through or die. No one here looks the least bit happy. I don't even want my baby here.

"She's in here. Just so you know, she's connected to a lot of machines. She has a tube down her throat that's helping her breathe. I just want to warn you that she may not look like herself right now."

"Okay, thank you."

The doctor opens the door for me and I reluctantly walk in. There she is, right in front of me. God, she looks so small right now. "You can sit with her as long as you'd like. One of the nurses will come and get you when your wife arrives. We'll continue to monitor her progress, but as I said before, unfortunately the scans show very minimal brain activity. I'm very sorry." With that the doctor walks out of the room, leaving me standing in front of her bed. I don't know what to do. I feel like I can't even move. Like I'm frozen in this spot, staring at my daughter's chest rise and drop with the help of that pump.

After what seems like hours, I grab the chair from the corner of the room and bring it right next to the bed. I sigh as I sit down and grab her hand with my left hand. With my right hand I caress the side of her cheek, removing a fly away piece of hair from her face.

"I'm right here, baby. Momma is going to be here soon. We're going to figure this out love. You just have to stay strong baby. You're a fighter. I knew that the second that I met you. Right now you need to fight more than ever baby. You have to fight this, Callie."

**Just a new idea that popped into my head. I'll still be updating GEM and All of the Stars, but I really wanted to post this prologue. **

**The next chapter I'll be going back in time to show what caused this whole thing. As of right now Callie is on life support. Lena and Stef will have to decide whether to keep her that way or take her off. **

**All feedback is always greatly appreciated. And of course I obviously don't own the Fosters. **


	2. Chapter 1

Mariana, Jesus, and Jude are already seated at the breakfast table.

"Brandon, Callie shake a leg!" Stef yells upstairs. "Why are those two taking so long today?"

"I think they're still packing for the trip," Mariana responds as she puts some fruit onto her plate.

"They'll only be gone two days. How much could they need?" Stef comments as she sits back down at the table.

"They're going to Bear Mountain. I think it's safe to say they're going to need a lot of layers out there," Jesus comments.

"True. If I were going to Bear Mountain, which for whatever reason I'm not, I for one would have to pack at least two suitcases full of warm clothing," Mariana comments sarcastically.

Lena sighs as she sits down at the table with a container of yogurt and a bowl with a spoon. "Mariana, it's a trip for the juniors. Next year when you're a junior you'll get to go too."

"Yeah, meanwhile the sophomores don't get anything," Mariana responds.

"Because of the budget issues. But, we make up for it by giving you both a junior and senior class trip."

Callie comes running into the kitchen.

"She lives!" Jesus jokes.

"Ha ha ha! Sorry, I should have packed last night. I didn't realize it would take so long," Callie states as she sits down at the table.

"Oh, yeah just rub it in," Mariana mumbles.

"Mariana, do you ever stop whining?" Callie asks dramatically.

"I don't whine!"

"You kind of do," Jesus agrees.

Mariana glares at Jesus.

"Besides, it's not like I even want to go on this stupid trip. Momma's making me."

"Hey, language and I'm not making you. I just think that you should participate in more school activities, especially the junior trip. It'll be fun."

"I'm going to be stuck in a bus for about 4 hours with a bunch of kids that I don't even talk to. Why does that not sound fun to me?" Callie states sarcastically.

"Then she has to pretend like she actually knows how to ski," Jesus jokes.

"Thank you, Jesus! You see? Even Jesus sees that this trip is going to be terrible."

"It's not going to be terrible, Love. Just try to have a good time," Stef tries to reassure Callie.

"Yeah, Callie. I'll be with you. I can teach you to ski," Brandon adds as he enters the kitchen and sits down at the table.

"Ooh, Callie the last thing you want to do is take pointers from Brandon on how to ski. Actually, on pretty much any sport there is," Jesus warns Callie.

"Aww, thanks man"

"Hey, I'm just telling the truth bro. When it comes to piano, your awesome, but sports, not so much."

"He's got a point, B," Stef jokes.

"Thanks mom," Brandon responds as he pours cereal into his bowl.

"I'm just kidding. You've all got your strengths. But, in all seriousness. Callie, you should probably see if you can find a ski instructor to help you out. I've seen Brandon ski. Let's just say he's not very qualified to teach you."

Brandon pouts and glares at Stef as he pours milk into his cereal and starts eating.

"I'll probably just try to stay in my room the whole time," Callie states as she finishes her cereal.

"Brandon, please make sure that your sister actually tries to have a good time," Stef tells Brandon.

"I'll try mom, but you know Callie. She's as stubborn as they come. She's probably the most stubborn person I've ever met, aside from you of course," Brandon jokes.

"Hey, I'm not stubborn," Callie and Stef state in unison.

"Yeah, because a stubborn person would admit to being stubborn. That's proves just how stubborn you are," Jesus states as he smirks at his mom and sister.

"Callie and I are not stubborn, we're just…"

"Strong-willed," Callie finishes for her mom.

"Yes, good one Callie. Callie and I are strong-willed."

"Also known as stubborn," Lena states as she stands up from the table with her dish, earning a laugh from Brandon, Mariana, Jesus and Jude.

"Alright, everyone needs to be in the car in five minutes. We have to get to the school early today. The bus is leaving at 8:00 on the dot," Lena announces.

The kids head upstairs to finish getting ready while Lena and Stef clear the table.

"You don't think I forced Callie into going on this trip do you?" Lena asks Stef as she starts washing the dishes.

"No, and even if you did, I think it's good that she's doing more school activities. She never got the chance to be a kid before. She was forced to grow up way too fast. It'll be good for her to be out there having a carefree time."

"I hope so. I just don't want Callie to think that she has to go on the trip because I want her to go. I want her to go because she wants to go."

"Babe, sometimes Callie needs a little push. Deep down she wants to go, but she's still not used to being able to go on field trips, have fun and basically be a kid. She's going to have a great time and like Brandon said, he'll be with her so it's not like she won't have someone to hang out with."

"I guess you're right."

"Always," Stef jokes.

Lena laughs as she finishes the final dish and turns to kiss her wife.

"Eww, we eat in here," Jesus grimaces as he and Jude enter the kitchen.

Stef and Lena roll their eyes as they turn to their sons. "Watch it young man," Stef says as they walk out of the kitchen and into the foyer.

Brandon comes down next with his and Callie's bag in hand. Mariana and Callie follow in after him.

"Brandon, I said I could take my own bag downstairs," Callie tells Brandon.

"And I said I got it."

"Callie, when someone offers to take your bag for you, you let them," Mariana states with a smirk.

"Alright, I won't see you two for the next two days so I'd like some extra-long hugs to hold me over until then," Stef says as she pulls Brandon into a hug. "Be careful and look out for each other. Have fun, but be safe."

Before Stef pulls out of the hug with Brandon she whispers in his ear, "try to make sure Callie at least tries to have a good time."

Brandon nods at his mom as they pull out of their tight embrace.

"You, please, stop being so stubborn and try to have a good time," Stef says to Callie as she pulls her into a hug.

"Strong-willed!"

"Yes, right, I'm sorry. Please stop being so strong-willed."

"I love you guys," Stef says as she and Callie let go of each other.

"Love you too mom," Brandon and Callie both respond back.

"Alright, off to school. Remember, be safe."

The Adams-Fosters piled into the car, unaware of what was to come.


	3. Chapter 2

**I want to thank everyone for the amazing reviews. I'm amazed at what a great response I've gotten for this story. **

**To the guest (Amy) that asked if I could go into Callie's recovery, I can't say for sure if I'll do that without giving up the rest of the story ;) I will say that if Callie lives then I will definitely go into her recovery process. However, that won't be for a little while since I still have a lot of story to tell. In the meantime if you're looking for a story showing Callie recovering, you can look into the new story I'll be posting this week. I'm not sure if you read Green Eyed Monster, but the sequel to that story will be about Callie and the rest of the family recovering from a horrible ordeal. **

**Also, I didn't make note of this last chapter, but most chapters are going to be a general point of view, but if there is a chapter where the story is being told in a single person's point of view, then I'll make note of it at the beginning of the chapter. **

Lena had just pulled into the vice principal spot in the parking lot at Anchor Beach. The kids quickly got out of the car. Callie and Brandon made their way toward the trunk of the car to retrieve their bags.

Brandon took hold of both his and Callie's bag.

"Brandon, I said I can carry my own bag," Callie said as she tried to grab her bag from Brandon.

"And I said that I don't mind taking it Callie," Brandon responded as he refused to give up Callie's bag. To others it may have looked like Brandon was treating Callie how a boyfriend would treat his girlfriend. But, it was the opposite for Brandon. Brandon was getting accustomed to thinking of Callie as his sister. A part of him still loved her in a romantic kind of way, but little by little the romance was dissipating. He was treating Callie like he would treat Mariana, like a sister.

"Callie, what did I say?" Mariana asked with a serious expression. "When someone offers to carry your bag, you let them."

"Why would I let someone else carry my bag when I have two perfectly working hands that can carry my own bag by myself?"

"Callie, I have so much to teach you," Mariana responded with a sigh.

Callie rolled her eyes as she looked from her sister to her brother. "Can I please just carry my bag?"

"Can you please just say thank you and let me take the bag?"

"Fine, but I owe you."

"No you don't," Brandon responds nonchalantly as he closes the trunk.

"Alright, you three," Lena said to Jude, Jesus, and Mariana, "have to get to class. Say goodbye to Callie and Brandon. You won't see them for two days."

"Bye bro, be careful out there on the slopes. I'd like you to come back in one piece," Jesus said to Brandon as he gave him a hug.

"Thanks, Jesus"

Jesus went over to Callie and hugged her as well. "Watch out for our brother and make sure he doesn't try to teach you how to ski."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind Jesus."

Jude hugged Brandon as he said, "Have fun!"

"Thanks"

Jude moved over to Callie and pulled her into a hug. He was going to miss his sister, but he was glad that she was finally allowed to be a normal teenager. "Have fun and please have Brandon record you the first time you try to hit the slopes. I have to see that!"

"Ha ha, very funny."

Mariana gave Brandon a quick hug, but then looked at Callie with a sad expression. "Our room is going to be so empty without you. What am I going to do without you for two whole days?"

Callie hugged Mariana as she responded, "I'm sure you'll survive. I'll be back before you know it. You probably won't even realize that I'm gone."

"Not likely." Mariana had grown to love Callie, not only as a sister, but as a friend too. Initially Mariana hated the idea of having a roommate, but now she couldn't imagine not sharing a room with Callie. Mariana and Callie hugged for a few more moments before Mariana reluctantly let go of Callie. "Alright, in all seriousness, even though I'm so jealous that I'm not going too, I hope you have a really good time."

"Thanks, Mari. Like I said I'll be back before you know it."

Mariana smiled at her sister before walking away with Jude and Jesus.

"Alright, let's get you two over to the buses."

"Oh, are you that happy to get rid of us for two days?" Brandon joked.

"No, I just don't want you two to be late. The buses really are leaving at eight, with or without you two on it. You guys have a lot of miles to cover."

"Don't remind me," Callie mumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you'll be there before you know it. It's not like you won't have each other and your phones to keep you occupied. Callie, you could probably get a lot of great pictures on the way. I'm sure you'll see a lot of great things."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Callie agreed with her mother.

"That's the spirit," Lena said cheerfully as they approached the buses. "The buses are by alphabetical order so you're both on the first bus." Lena pulled Brandon into a hug. "Be careful and have fun. I expect you both to keep in touch with both me and mom. Just send us a text every so often to let us know how it's going."

"You and mom worry too much," Brandon told Lena as he pulled out of the hug, allowing Lena to pull Callie into a hug.

"We're your moms. It's our jobs to worry."

"Just don't worry too much. Brandon and I will be fine. Like I said to Mariana," Callie told Lena as they pulled out of their hug, "we'll be back before you know it. Just make sure mom doesn't go crazy without me around."

"Ugh, easier said than done. What is she going to do without her mini-me by her side?"

Callie smiled at the thought. Stef had told her before that she and her were a lot alike. It seemed like little by little she found more and more ways in which she was just like Stef. She was starting to love the idea of being just like her mom. After all, her mom was a great woman to be compared to.

"Okay, go on you two. We'll be waiting for you right here when you get back."

Callie and Brandon both said their goodbyes to Lena as they made their way onto the bus.

**So this chapter wasn't that long, but next chapter will be longer and will get to the accident. **

**As always all reviews and feedback are always appreciated. And if anyone else has any ideas or anything they want to see happen, run them by me and I'll try to incorporate it into the story. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all of the amazing reviews and feedback! **

**I got a comment regarding Brallie. Sorry for all of the Brallie lovers out there, but this story won't be a Brallie. For the purpose of this story, Callie has already been adopted, making her and Brandon siblings. So, there will only be Brallie friendship an**

Stef had just finished getting ready for work. It was Friday so she wasn't scheduled to go into work until ten, which still gave her another hour to kill. Usually, she spent this time reading the paper and drinking her second cup of coffee. Today would be no different.

As Stef sat down at the table and opened the newspaper, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, signifying that she had a new text message.

Stef looked at her phone and smiled when she saw that the text message was from Callie.

**Callie: Hey! Just checking in, see if you're having a better morning than I am :/**

Stef laughed as she typed a response.

**Stef: It can't be that bad, love.**

**Callie: No, it's worse than bad! Brandon fell asleep! Which shows me just how boring I must be. Now, I have nothing to do but wallow in the fact that I'm so boring that even my own brother can't stay awake for more than an hour with me.**

**Stef: You're not boring Callie. You're one of the most fun people I know. I LOVE hanging out with you!**

**Callie: Thanks! But, you're my mom. You have to say that.**

**Stef: No, I'm serious Callie. You are anything, but boring. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your mom. I promise!**

**Callie: If you say so. Enough about boring old me. How's your morning going?**

**Stef: Don't you mean boring young you? Lol**

**Callie: See! I knew you were just being nice lol**

**Stef: My morning had been good. Just another hour before I have to head to work, so I'm just reading the paper and drinking coffee.**

**Callie: They still make newspapers!? :/**

**Stef: Ha ha, very funny!**

**Callie: So that's why I'm so boring. Everything else about you has rubbed off on me. Of course I would end up boring too lol.**

**Stef: Hey! I am not boring! I'll have you know that I am a very entertaining person. Back in the day I was a blast!**

**Callie: What happened to you? Lol**

**Stef: I fell in love and became the mother of five children ;)**

**Callie: :)**

**Callie: Brandon just woke up, he says hello and he loves you.**

**Stef: I love the both of you so much! Where are you guys now?**

Stef waited for a minute for a response from Callie. Up until now, Callie had been responding within seconds of receiving her text messages. _Maybe she's talking to Brandon now?_

Stef had put her phone down on the table, expecting a response within the next five minutes. She assumed that Callie probably hadn't seen the text message yet. Once she did she would respond right away. Stef continued reading the newspaper.

After five minutes went by, Stef looked at her phone, puzzled as to why Callie hadn't responded yet.

**Stef: Hey! Did Brandon steal you from me? Lol**

Again, Stef waited for a minute to go by before typing again.

**Stef: Callie?**

Stef was starting to get concerned. It wasn't like Callie not to answer her text messages right away. Typically whenever she or Lena texted Callie, they got a response within seconds of sending the message. Stef clicked on the details option for Callie and then clicked the call button. Stef put the phone to her ear and waited patiently for Callie to answer her phone call. There was no way that Callie wouldn't answer her phone. However, after one ring, the call went straight to voicemail. '_Hi, this is Callie. You know what to do.'_

"I know she charged her phone. I told her to make sure she had a full battery for the trip," Stef wondered aloud.

Stef tried the next best option. Luckily she had two kids sitting right next to each other. If one didn't answer, the other surely would. Stef clicked on Brandon's name and clicked the call button. This time it rang four times before going to voicemail. '_Hey, this is Brandon. Leave a message or just text me.'_

Stef was starting to get a really bad feeling in her stomach. Something didn't feel right. In fact, something felt really, really wrong. Their kids were really good when it came to answering their phone calls and text messages. This wasn't like Callie or Brandon. There had to be a reason why both Callie and Brandon wouldn't answer their phones.

Stef got up from the table and began pacing the kitchen as she called Lena.

'_Hey, babe,' Lena answered._

"Hey, honey, have you by any chance heard from Callie or Brandon?"

'_No, not yet. But, it's only been an hour since they left. I'm sure they'll check in shortly.'_

"That's the thing. Callie did check in and we were texting for a while, but then she stopped responding and she hasn't responded to any of my messages since. In fact I tried to call her and her phone is off."

'_Maybe she forgot to charge it.'_

"No, I made sure that both Brandon and Callie had their phones fully charged for the trip so that we could get in contact with them."

'_Did you try Brandon?'_

"Yes, and he didn't answer either. I think something's wrong Lena."

'_Okay, maybe we're just jumping to conclusions. They're on a rowdy bus. They may have not heard their phones going off,' Lena said to Stef, trying to keep calm._

"Then why is Callie's phone off? And even if they didn't hear it, they would have felt it. Both of them have the vibration for their phones turned on."

Lena stayed quiet on the other end of the line. Lena was trying to remain calm. But, even she knew that something had to be going on. Callie and Brandon always answered their calls and there was no reason why Callie's phone would be off. '_Okay, I'll try and get in contact with Janet or Brian. They're the teachers on their bus. There has to be a reasonable explanation for why they aren't answering. I'll call you right back. Try not to worry.'_

"I'll try," Stef responded as she hung up the phone. She was already worried. If she didn't hear good news from Lena, she was going into full on cop mode and try to figure out what the hell was going on.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lena was calling Stef back. "Did you talk to Janet or Brian?" Lena didn't respond. Stef knew this wasn't good. "Lena? What's going on?"

'_I called Janet and Brian. Both of their phones were turned off, so I called one of the teacher's on the other bus and spoke with one of them,' Lena responded in a shaky voice._

"And?"

'_Well, Daren said that the other bus was about five minutes behind them, so he couldn't see the bus, but he had the bus driver try to radio in the other bus driver.'_

"Okay did they respond?"

'_There was no response. Stef, the bus is missing!' Lena told Stef, her voice cracking. _

**Callie's Narration (Italics) **

_Life can change in an instant. I was finally happy, surrounded by a family that loved me. But, in one second all of that changed. In one second, everything was destroyed._

Callie woke up with a throbbing headache. She could hear a loud ringing in her head. Slowly, the ringing was replaced with the sound of multiple gut-wrenching screams.

_Where am I and who is screaming like that!? _

Callie opened her eyes in confusion. She couldn't remember what had happened or why her head hurt so badly.

After taking in her surroundings, Callie finally realized that she had been on the school bus for their field trip.

_What the hell happened? _

_The last thing I remember is getting a text message from mom. I went to respond and the rest is a blank. _

_Wait! Brandon. I was talking to Brandon. He had just woken up. _

_Where is Brandon!?_

**So I'm keeping the story in a general point of view but the scenes involving Callie will be narrated by her. Basically the italics are Callie's thoughts.**

**As always all reviews and feedback are always appreciated. And if anyone else has any ideas or anything they want to see happen, run them by me and I'll try to incorporate it into the story. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

**This isn't a very long chapter, but I really wanted to post an update tonight. **

"Brandon!?" Callie frantically yelled.

As Callie looked around, she realized that the bus had overturned. They were now in a sideways position. The bus had gone onto its right side and Callie and Brandon had been sitting on the left side. Any students that hadn't been wearing their seatbelts were now thrown to the right side of the bus, toward the ground. Luggage had been thrown everywhere, which had only further injured students.

Callie was still strapped into her seat, but Brandon apparently had failed to put his safety belt on since he was no longer seated right next to her.

"Brandon?" Callie yelled a second time, this time a lot louder and more frantic.

"Callie!?" Brandon called from somewhere down below.

Callie followed the sound of Brandon's voice and found him starting to come to. There were two other students on top of him, making it so that Brandon was being pushed right into the right wall of the bus.

"Callie?" Brandon called out weakly.

"Brandon! I'm up here!" Callie called as she tried to get his attention.

Once Brandon got the energy he looked up and saw where Callie was strapped in. Brandon was struggling to move. The two other students were applying a great amount of weight to his already injured body. "I can't move."

"Don't keep trying to. You don't know what injuries you might have," Callie warned as she started trying to undo her seat belt. "You could make it worse by trying to move." Callie stopped trying to undo her seatbelt when she realized that doing so would cause her to fall down into the pit of her classmate's battered bodies.

Callie looked up at her window and saw that it was already shattered during the crash. There were just a few stray pieces of glass left. Callie reached for the other seatbelt hanging down and used the hard buckle to clear the remaining glass.

Once the glass was out of the way, Callie grabbed hold of the window and hung on as she unbuckled her seat belt. As soon as her seatbelt was removed, Callie had to hang on tight to the window opening with both hands. Once her grip was secured, Callie started pulling herself up and out through the window opening. As soon as Callie got out of the bus, she sat down on the bus to regain some of her strength, but she was quickly startled by her surroundings. There were two other cars not too far from the bus. One of the cars was flipped upside down. The other car was upright, but the damage to that car looked worse than the damage to both the bus and the upside down car put together.

Callie looked back down at Brandon. "Brandon, I'm going to go see if someone already called for help." There was no response from Brandon. Callie looked closer at Brandon and realized that Brandon had passed out again. _I have to get help. Brandon isn't looking too good. None of them are looking too good. _

Being very careful not to fall, Callie climbed down from the bus and onto the ground. As soon as Callie reached the ground she rushed over to the car that was upside down. She looked into the car and looked baffled when there was no one in the car. _What the hell? Where'd they go? Maybe they already got out?_

Callie looked around, but couldn't find anyone. She quickly walked around to the other side of the car and sighed in relief when she saw the driver. The driver looked young, probably in his late teens to early twenties. His head had an ugly looking gash that was oozing blood, but other than that he looked relatively okay. "Hi," Callie quickly greeted the man on the ground.

The man looked slightly startled at Callie's presence. "Hey," the man responded as he stood up and came toward Callie. "Are you okay?"

_Well, I have a throbbing headache that seems to be getting worse and my brother is passed out stuck inside of a bus with the rest of my class, but other than that, I'm great. _"I'm fine," Callie quickly responded, trying to get to the point as quickly as possible. "Are you?"

"Aside from the disgusting cut on my head, I think I'm fine."

"You didn't by any chance call for help did you?" Callie asked.

"I tried, but I can't get a signal."

Callie sighed in defeat. "This can't be happening! My brother and half of our class is injured and stuck inside of a bus that was supposed to take us to some stupid field trip that I didn't even want to go to in the first place! We have to find a way to get help!" Callie was starting to freak out. This was too much for her to handle. She was worried about Brandon, as well as the rest of the students on the bus and she was having a hard time ignoring the throbbing sensation in her head.

"Okay, calm down. It's going to be okay. I'll keep trying to get a signal and if that doesn't work, there was a gas station a few miles back. Worse comes to worse I can walk there and get help." The man was trying really hard to calm Callie down. "What's your name?"

"Callie"

"Okay, Callie. My name's Tyler. We're going to get some help okay, so just try to stay calm."

Callie was trying to stay calm, but just standing there feeling hopeless was making her feel more anxious. _Maybe I should go check on the other car. _"I'm going to go see how the people in the other car are doing."

"Okay, I'll keep trying to get a signal," Tyler responded as Callie rushed toward the other car.

The entire passenger side of the car had been smashed in. Callie looked into the car and saw a woman in the front seat and two small children seated in the backseat.

"Thank God!" the woman exclaimed when she saw Callie at her window. "I think I did something to my back! I can't really feel my legs,"

"Okay, well we're trying to get help. They should be here soon. I'm sure you're fine," Callie tried to assure the woman.

"No, I don't care about me! Please, just check on my kids and make sure they are okay."

"Okay, yeah, I can do that," Callie moved toward the backseat window and looked into the car. It was a young girl and her younger brother. The boy was already awake. He was looking at Callie with a wide-eyed scared expression. Callie couldn't help but think about Jude. She wished she was with him right now. Callie gently tapped the girl's shoulder as she said, "hey, can you wake up for me? What's your daughter's name?"

"Samantha," the mom responded quickly.

"Samantha, can you open your eyes?"

Samantha slowly opened her eyes. "Mommy?"

"I'm right here, baby," the woman said from the front seat.

"Mommy, I'm scared."

"I know, baby, but we're going to be find. Don't worry baby girl."

Callie was at a loss for words. This was hitting too close to home for Callie. She couldn't help but think of her mother and what she went through.

"Yeah, your mom's right. Help will be here soon. It'll be okay Samantha," Callie smiled at the little girl.

_I hope what I just told her is true. Will help be here soon? Are we all going to be okay? _

**All feedback is always greatly appreciated and welcomed! **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

"Help is on the way!" Tyler exclaimed as he approached Callie who was not helping Samantha get out of the car. Samantha seemed relatively fine. So did her little brother. But, their mother was a different story. She still couldn't feel her legs, which was very worrisome to Callie.

"Did they say how long?" Callie asked.

"They estimated about ten minutes."

_Ten minutes. That's good. Ten minutes is nothing. We can hold on for ten more minutes. Ugh, my head is killing me! The second I get to the hospital I have got to get some Advil or something. _

Callie looked Samantha up and down. "Are you sure you aren't hurt Samantha?" Callie asked gently.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine. But, I don't think my mommy is."

"Hey, help is on the way okay. You're mommy is awake and talking to you. That's good. Help is going to get here and she's going to go to the hospital and be fine. Don't worry. Now, what's your little brother's name?"

"Curren," Samantha responded quietly.

"Okay, I'm going to go in and see if Curren is okay. Can you stay with Tyler here?"

"Yeah"

"Okay, good girl. You're doing great!" Callie tried to encourage the little girl and stay positive for her. She couldn't let Samantha know that inside she was actually petrified and had no idea if her mother would be fine. She had no idea if Brandon would be fine or how the rest of her class was doing. But if she started freaking out now, Samantha might too. She just had to wait ten more minutes before help would be there and she wouldn't have to be in charge of the situation anymore.

"Curren, my name is Callie," Callie told the little boy as she got into the car to look him over. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

After hesitating Curren answered quietly, "I have an ouchie on my arm."

Callie looked at Curren's arm and saw that he did indeed have a big cut on his arm. She definitely wasn't qualified to make any kind of diagnosis, but from the looks of the cut she could tell that he would need stitches. "Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, do you think you can come outside with me and your sister?"

"Yes"

Callie stepped out of the car, but took hold of the car door when she suddenly felt a sense of dizziness. _What the hell was that? It's probably nothing. I probably just got out of the car too fast. _

"Hey, are you okay?" Tyler asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just got out of the car a little too fast. Come on Curren."

Callie helped Curren out of the car and walked him over to where Samantha was standing with Tyler.

"Okay, guys. I'm going to go talk to your mom. Can you both stay here with Tyler for a minute?"

Both children responded with a nod of the head.

Callie turned back to talk with their mother. "They both seem fine."

"Thank God, that boy said help is on the way?"

"Yeah, they should be here in about ten minutes."

"Okay, then I'll just stay put until they get here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can't move my legs so short of you carrying me out of the car there's really nothing you guys can do for me."

"Listen, I don't want to leave you but my brother is on the bus and I…" Callie paused, trying to finish her sentence but finding it hard to speak. "I really want to go check on him." Callie finally finished her sentence but it sounded kind of slurred. The other woman didn't seem to notice though.

"No, I'll be fine here. Believe me; you've done more than enough for me by making sure my kids are okay. Go check on your brother."

"I'll make sure Tyler stays with Samantha and Curren."

Callie went back to Tyler, Samantha and Curren. "Can you stay with them while I go check and see how my brother is doing?"

"Aren't you going to need help with that?"

"I'm just going to look in and make sure he's at least still breathing; besides you're injured. You should stay here with Samantha and Curren."

"It's just a cut."

"Yeah, a very big nasty cut on your HEAD. You could have a concussion or something worse. You should stay here and take it easy until help gets here, which should be any minute now."

"Fine, I'll stay here. But can you just check on your brother and come right back?"

"Deal," Callie agreed as she started walking back toward the bus.

As Callie approached the bus she started to feel the dizzy feeling again. Callie managed to walk to the other side of the bus so that she was out of sight from Tyler, Samantha, and Curren. Callie held onto the side of the bus and closed her eyes as she tried to make the dizziness go away.

_Okay, as much as I'd hate to admit it, I think there actually might be something wrong with me. That was the second time I got dizzy. And back there I had a hard time finishing my sentence and when I did finally finish it I sounded completely off. But how can there be something wrong with me when I feel fine. Since the accident happened I've felt fine. Plus I barely have a scratch on me. Maybe I'm just imagining it. Besides, I can't be hurt. Brandon is hurt and he needs me to be there for him until moms can get to us. Good thing we're only about an hour out of San Diego. _

_Just push through this. I'm not bleeding severely and I don't have any broken bones or anything so it can't be that serious. I can just wait it out until we get to the hospital and tell the doctor what I'm experiencing. They'll probably tell me it's nothing and I'm just overreacting. It's okay. I'm okay._

"I'm okayyy," Callie said to herself but looked baffled when she realized that what she was saying was coming out slurred. She opened her mouth to try speaking again, but was shocked when no words would come out of her mouth. _I can't talk. Why can't I talk!? _

Callie tried to talk again, but again no words would come out of her mouth. _I know what I want to say, I just can't say it! Why the hell is this happening!?_

Callie started walking toward the other end of the bus to try and get Tyler's attention. She didn't want to admit it, but she needed help. Whatever was wrong with her was worse than she thought and it was only getting worse.

Before Callie could make it to the other side of the bus she falls back onto the ground, unconscious.

**Back in San Diego…**

Stef rushed into Lena's office.

"Any news?" Stef asked.

"Not yet, the other bus is turning around to find out what's going on," Lena answered.

"They still haven't made any contact with anyone on the bus?" Stef asked.

"No. Some of the students on the bus are trying to call their friends from the other bus, but no one's answering. The bus is missing Stef!" Lena exclaimed, her worry clearly evident in her voice.

"The bus must have crashed. It had to have."

"We don't know that for sure yet Stef," Lena said, trying to stay somewhat positive even though she was probably more worried than Stef.

"What else could have happened? I was texting Callie and she suddenly stopped texting me. Then her phone was off and Brandon didn't answer his phone. Something is wrong here! The bus had to have crashed."

"If it crashed we would have heard about it by now," Lena tried to reason with Stef.

"Not if no one has called for help yet," Stef responded as a thought came to her head. "I can track Brandon's phone and go find them."

"Stef, are you sure you should be driving right now? Maybe you should just wait to hear from the other bus," Lena questioned.

"I'm not going to just sit here and wait while our two of our children are missing!" Stef exclaimed as Lena's office phone started ringing.

Lena answered immediately. "Hello?"

Stef watched Lena, waiting to hear who was on the other line and what news they had.

"What hospital are they going to be taken to?"

Stef sighed in worry as she listened to what Lena was saying. She was right. The bus did crash.

"I'll contact the parents and let them know," Lena responded as she hung up the phone.

"What's going on Lena?"

"A young man called in an accident in San Bernardino. He was involved in a crash with another car and a bus full of kids. They're all being taken to St. Bernardine Medical Center."

"Is that all they said? Did they if there were any casualties or anything else?"

"No, Stef, it's about an hour away. Monte is out for the day so I have to wait here and contact all of the parents. You have to go and find out how Callie and Brandon are doing and let me know that they're okay."

"I'll get there in less than hour!" Stef said as she started toward the door.

"Stef, I made Callie go on that trip…"

"Lena, don't do this. You didn't know that this was going to happen and for all we know Callie and Brandon are fine."

"But, what if they're not?"

Stef couldn't answer Lena. She didn't know what to say. She had the same fear as her. What if Callie and Brandon weren't fine?

**What do you think is wrong with Callie? **

**All feedback is always greatly appreciated and welcomed! If there's any ideas or anything you'd like to see happen, let me know. Always open to ideas. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! A few of you were right about what's wrong with Callie. **

Lena entered the gymnasium to the loud chatter of concerned parents. She had called all of the parents of the children that were on the bus and informed them that they needed to come to the school for an announcement. She didn't want to tell a parent over the phone that their son or daughter may be injured, or worse. She knew that if she got that information over the phone she would probably have a heart attack before she could even get to the school. Right now she was trying to stay strong and do her job. But, deep down, Lena wanted nothing more than to be with Stef, getting closer and closer to Brandon and Callie.

"Can I have your attention please?" Lena yelled over the loud chatter.

Little by little all of the parents in the gym started to quiet down until Lena was finally able to speak without yelling.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to have to bring everyone here under these circumstances, but there's been an accident. One of the buses was involved in an accident with two other cars. As of right now I'm not aware of the details of what happened or whose hurt, but they're all being brought to St. Bernardine Medical Center as we speak."

"Which bus was it?" one of the parents asked.

"The bus that was carrying any students with a last name starting with A through L," Lena announced. As soon as Lena said that, multiple parents started crying and started trying to get a hold of their child.

Lena knew that this day wouldn't be easy. She knew that there was a very high chance that some students may have died in the crash. She may not know all of the details of the crash, but she could tell from the conversation she had on the phone that the crash was bad. She felt horrible for all of the parents in there. When they put their kids on that bus they thought that they were sending them off to have a good time. Not to be involved in this horrible accident.

_I shouldn't have persuaded Callie to go on this trip. If it weren't for me she would be here, safe at school. Now, because of me, I have no idea where my daughter is. I don't know where my son is. I don't know if they're hurt. What if they're… _Lena couldn't even finish her thought. If she did, she knew she would fall apart right here and now. She had to wait until she knew for sure. For all she knew, Callie and Brandon were just fine and she was worrying for nothing.

_God I hope I'm worry for nothing…_

**In the ambulance…**

_What is happening?_

"How far are we from the hospital?" Callie heard a man ask.

_I know that voice. Where do I know that voice from? It sounded so familiar. Wait, it's that guy. Tyler! Tyler? _Callie tried to call out, but realized that she didn't say anything. _Tyler?_ Callie tried again, but for the second time no words came out.

"Just five minutes," another man responded.

"Do you guys know what's wrong with her?"

Callie finally looked to her left side and saw Tyler sitting next to her. He looked terrified. He now had a large gauze pad over his nasty cut.

_Tyler? _ Callie tried for the third time. _Dammit, why can't I talk? Just look over here, Tyler. Look at me and see that I'm awake and looking at you!_

"We can't be sure yet. She may have just had a concussion and passed out. We have to wait until we get to the hospital."

Tyler looked back down at Callie and finally noticed that she was staring right at him. "Callie! Hey, you're awake!"

"Miss, can you tell me your name? Do you remember what happened?" the paramedic next to Tyler asked her.

_One, he just said my name. And two, no I can't tell you my name because I can't talk!_

"Callie? Can you hear me? It's Tyler," Tyler tried to get Callie to respond when he noticed the confused expression on Callie's face. "Remember? I was in the other car? You had gone to check on your brother but you never came back, so I went to check on you and you were passed out on the ground."

_So, that's what happened. That explains why I don't remember getting in the ambulance, but that doesn't explain why I can't talk. Maybe I can write?_

Callie started to move her left hand to signify that she wanted to write something. At first Tyler looked confused as to what Callie was doing. "Oh! Pen and paper! Can you not talk?"

_Why do you think I'm asking for a pen and paper Tyler?_

"Right! Do you have a pen and some paper?" Tyler asked the paramedic.

The paramedic gave Tyler his pen and a small notepad. Tyler held the paper up so that Callie could write on it. He handed the pen to Callie, but when she went to grip the pen, it just fell out of her hand.

"Hey, she can't hold the pen or talk! Are those symptoms of a concussion?" Tyler asked with a bit of an edge to his voice.

Callie moved her gaze to the paramedic and saw that he wasn't responding. He had a grave look on his face like he had an idea of what was wrong with Callie, but didn't want to say it.

_Could you just say it so I know what the hell is happening right now?_

"Step on it, Jerry. She needs to get to the hospital, now!" the paramedic told the other paramedic who was driving.

"Hey, Callie, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine," Tyler told Callie as he held her hand.

_I wish I knew if that were true or not. From where I'm lying, it doesn't seem like everything is going to be fine. I didn't realize this before, but when he doesn't have a nasty open head wound showing, Tyler is actually pretty cute. He's definitely sweet. I just met him and he's acting like he knew me forever. Just my luck; I meet a great guy and now I'm probably dying. This is classic me. One good thing happens and it's followed by more bad things! _

"We're pulling in now," Jerry yelled from the front seat.

_Great, maybe I can finally find out what's wrong with me._

The doors to the ambulance swing open. Tyler stepped out of the ambulance first to get out of the way. Multiple doctors were already gathered around, ready for the numerous victims that were on their way.

"Victim's name is Callie. She was found unconscious at the scene of the accident. Minor bruises and scrapes. Regained consciousness on the way here. She seems to not be able to talk and has weakness in her left hand," the paramedic said to the doctor as he rolled Callie out of the ambulance.

"Alright, let's get her inside! Could be a possible subdural hematoma," the doctor ordered.

_Could you possibly speak English? I don't know what that means! Subdural what!?_

Callie is wheeled into a main trauma room and moved over to an actual hospital bed.

_Could someone please tell me what is wrong with me using words that I can understand._

"Her pressure is through the roof," a nurse stated.

_Okay, maybe I can figure this out. I've taken science and health class since I was in elementary school. She just said my pressure is through the roof. I'm assuming that means I have high blood pressure. Again, no idea what that could mean._

"Call Neuro, tell them we're looking at a possible subdural hematoma. CT too, tell them to be ready," the doctor ordered.

_Neuro. I at least know what that means. It's the field of medicine that focuses on the brain. Okay, subdural hematoma, CT, pressure through the roof, and brain doctor? _

"Let's order a blood count as well. That'll tell us how significant the blood loss is."

_But, I'm not bleeding! I'm going to die because these doctors don't have common sense! How did you go from treating a brain injury to treating blood loss? Unless, the bleeding is coming from my brain. That must be it. My brain is bleeding!? How are they going to fix that!? _

"Let's go," the doctor ordered as they started moving Callie out of her room.

Callie moved her right arm, alerting the doctor.

"It's okay Callie. We're just taking you up to get a CT. We have you now. "

_Everything is not fine! My brain is bleeding! How can you fix that? _Callie winced in pain as she felt the sharp headache again. Things were starting to get blurry again. _No, I can't go to sleep! I have to stay awake! At least until I can tell Jude, moms, and the rest of my siblings that I love them!_

"She's going out of consciousness."

_No! I have to stay awake! I have to stay…_

**All feedback is always greatly appreciated and welcomed! If there's any ideas or anything you'd like to see happen, let me know. Always open to ideas. **

**Also, to the guest that asked if this would be a Tyler/Callie. Very high possibility :)**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows! **

Stef walked into the hospital emergency room and went straight up to the front desk nurse. "Hi, my name is Stef Adams Foster. Both my son and daughter were involved in the bus accident."

"What are their names?"

"Brandon Foster and Callie Adams Foster," Stef responded in a shaky voice. She was so anxious of what news she would receive. She hoped that they would tell her that her children are fine and are currently just waiting for either her or Lena to pick them up, but deep down Stef had a bad feeling in her gut. She could feel that something was wrong.

"Brandon Foster is still in the ER. He had a mild concussion and some minor scrapes and bruises. A doctor will be able to talk to you further about his condition, but he's not listed for emergent care."

"And my daughter? Callie?"

Stef could tell by the change in the nurse's face that something must have been wrong with Callie.

"Why don't I get one of the doctor's to talk with you? They'll be able to give you more detail on Callie's case."

"Just tell me. What's wrong with Callie?"

After a brief hesitation the nurse responded, "Callie was taken in for emergency surgery. She's still in surgery now."

"What kind of surgery?"

"I should really get a doctor to discuss Callie's…"

"What kind of surgery!?" Stef exclaimed frantically, interrupting the nurse.

"Neurosurgery. Callie had a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding on the brain. They had to perform a craniotomy to reduce the pressure on Callie's brain," the nurse quickly responded.

Stef didn't know what to say. Callie was having brain surgery. Stef may have not gone to college, but she knew that there were a lot of risks with brain surgery. She knew that there were risks with any surgery, but brain surgery had huge risks. Even if Callie made it through surgery, there was still a chance that she might have several disabilities. She might not ever be their Callie again.

"Mam, Callie is still in surgery, but would you like to see your son in the meantime?"

"Yes, please," Stef responded quietly. She was still in shock at the news she had just received. She didn't know how to act right now.

Stef was brought to the main exam area where Brandon was. He was currently lying down on a hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Brandon," Stef called out to him as she approached him.

Brandon looked to his mom as soon as he heard her voice. "Mom!" Brandon sat up and hugged his mom as soon as she reached him.

Stef was holding onto Brandon with all of her strength. She was so glad to be holding her son in her arms. She only wished she was holding her daughter with him.

"Mom, they won't tell me anything about Callie! I told them I'm her brother, but no one has said anything," Brandon explained to Stef frantically.

"Callie's in surgery, baby."

"What!? Why? She was fine after the accident," Brandon said confused.

"What do you mean baby?"

"After the accident, Callie was able to get out of the bus from one of the windows. She was going to get help, but that was the last I saw of her. She was fine though!"

"Are you sure baby? Maybe you're just confused about what happened?"

"No! Mom, Callie was fine! She was talking and everything. Callie was fine, mom!"

"Callie?" Tyler asked as he was brought back to his bed, which was right next to Brandon. He had been brought to CT to get a scan to make sure that he didn't have any further damage from his head wound. "You know Callie?"

Stef looked confused as to who Tyler was and how he knew Callie. "Yes, she's my daughter. You know Callie?"

"Yeah, well sort of. We just met today. I'm Tyler. I was in one of the other cars that were involved in the accident. How is she? I tried to find out but no one would tell me anything since I'm not family."

"Callie is in surgery right now," Stef responded.

"But, mom, I swear I know what I'm talking about. She was fine," Brandon assured her mom, still in denial that something serious was wrong with Callie.

"He's right. She was fine at first," Tyler told Stef as he got back into bed with the help of the nurse that wheeled him back to the ER. "She was better than me. All she had was some cuts and bruises. She kept going on and on about helping her brother, who I'm assuming is you."

"So, then what happened? What changed?" Stef asked, confused as to how Callie could go from walking around and talking to needing brain surgery.

"I don't really know. I had finally gotten a signal on my cell phone and called for help, while she was helping the family in the other car. When I told her help was on the way she wanted to go and check on her brother. She told me to stay with Samantha and Curren, but when she was gone too long I went to check on her. I found her passed out by the side of the bus."

"Did she wake up at all after that?" Stef asked.

"Yeah, in the ambulance. But she couldn't talk. She wanted to write something down, but she was having trouble holding the pen in her hand," Tyler told Stef sadly. "Do you know if she's going to be okay? Did they say it's serious, whatever it is that's wrong with her?"

"It sounds serious," Stef responded sadly.

"Well, she's got to be okay. I mean I know I've only known Callie for a few hours, but already I can tell that she's a fighter. She was great out there trying to make sure everyone else was going to be okay. She has to be okay, too," Tyler said determinedly.

Stef didn't know Tyler, but she did know that he was right. Callie was a fighter; is a fighter. She had to be okay. "You're right, Tyler. Callie is a fighter and she's going to be fine."

A nurse that had worked on Callie when she first came in came over to Stef, Brandon, and Tyler. "You're here for Callie Adams Foster, correct?"

"Yes, I'm Stef, Callie's mom," Stef introduced herself.

"Hi, I was one of the nurses that worked on Callie when she first came in. Can you please come with me?"

Stef could tell by the grim expression on the nurse's face that she had news about Callie and that it wasn't good news.

"Is Callie okay?" Brandon asked worried.

"If you could just come with me please, Callie's surgeon wants to speak with you in private."

"Brandon, I'll be right back baby. You and Tyler can keep each other company while I'm gone. I'll let you know how Callie's doing as soon as I get done talking to the doctor," Stef promised with a slight smile. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't want to upset Brandon right now. She was trying to put a strong face on for the sake of her son.

"Fine," Brandon finally gave in.

Stef kissed Brandon's forehead before following the nurse down the hall toward the elevator. They entered the elevator and made their way to the ICU floor.

Stef could feel the butterflies rising in her stomach. She knew that in a few minutes she was going to get bad news. News that would destroy her family forever.

The elevator stopped on the ICU floor. Stef followed the nurse out of the elevator and down the hall until they got to a small conference room. They entered the room and saw a doctor already seated at the table. The doctor got up as soon as they entered the room.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Gallagher. I'm the neurosurgeon that operated on your daughter," Dr. Gallagher introduced himself as he shook Stef's hand.

"I'm Stef."

"Please, take a seat."

Dr. Gallagher and Stef sat down at the table as the nurse stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her.

"How's Callie?" Stef asked right away even though she was afraid of what the answer would be.

"Callie came into the ER with what's known as a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding in the brain. Hers was quite severe. It was already causing loss of verbal skills as well as numbness to part of her body. As soon as she came in we ordered a CT to get an exact picture of what we were looking at before we went in. We confirmed the diagnosis and took Callie in to surgery right away. We performed a craniotomy to relieve the pressure on her brain. The surgery went well, but unfortunately because of the amount of time it took to get Callie into surgery and given the size of the bleed, Callie was left with permanent damage to her brain."

"Okay, what does that mean? Is she going to have limited abilities? What?" Stef asked trying to get a clear understanding as to what Callie's life would be like going forward.

Dr. Gallagher took a moment to continue. "Ms. Adams Foster, after Callie's surgery we administered a complete neurological examination. Callie failed every single test. We wanted to be completely sure so we ordered an EEG to measure her brain wave activity. There was very minimal brain wave activity, hardly any."

Stef stayed quiet as she let what the doctor was saying sink in. Stef needed to hear him say it. She needed to hear him say that her daughter was basically dead. "What does that mean exactly?"

"I'm saying that your daughter is brain dead, Mrs. Adams Foster. Callie is brain dead."

Tears started flowing down Stef's face as Dr. Gallagher started explaining their options. Stef was listening to the doctor, but none of what he was saying was really registering with her. She heard him say that they have the option to transfer her to a permanent care facility and hope for a miracle or to have them pull the plug and let nature take its course, let Callie die.

"Mrs. Adams Foster?" Dr. Gallagher pulled Stef from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"I asked if you would like to see her."

"I…I have to speak with my wife. She's on her way. She had a lot of worried parents to calm down back at the school in Mission Bay. She's the vice principle. I still have to tell her about this. She doesn't even know about this yet."

"Mrs. Adams Foster, I understand that you still have to discuss this with your wife. But, I asked if you wanted to see her."

Stef didn't know if she wanted to see her. Did she want to see what her daughter looked like right now? Stef knew she wouldn't look like herself. She wouldn't smile at her like she always did when she walked into the room. But, she had to. She had to be there with her baby, no matter what might happen next.

"Yes, I'd like to see her."

**Next chapter we'll be back to where the prologue left off. I know it's looking bad for Callie right now, but have faith! She could still have a chance. **

**All feedback is always greatly appreciated and welcomed! If there's any ideas or anything you'd like to see happen, let me know. Always open to ideas. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all reviews, favorites, and follows! **

"She's in here. Just so you know, she's connected to a lot of machines. She has a tube down her throat that's helping her breathe. I just want to warn you that she may not look like herself right now," Dr. Gallagher finished.

"Okay, thank you," Stef replied quietly.

Dr. Gallagher opened the door for Stef. She reluctantly walked into the room. There she was. Callie was right in front of her. She looked so small right now.

"You can sit with her as long as you'd like. One of the nurses will come and get you when your wife arrives. We'll continue to monitor her progress, but as I said before, unfortunately the scans show very minimal brain activity. I'm very sorry."

With that Dr. Gallagher walked out of the room leaving Stef standing right in front of Callie's bed. She didn't know what to do. She felt like she couldn't move. Like she was frozen in her place, staring at her daughter's chest rise and fall with the help of the pump.

After what seemed like hours, Stef grabbed the chair from the corner of the room and brought it right next to the bed. She sighed as she sat down and grabbed her hand with her left hand. With her right hand she caressed the side of her cheek, removing a fly away piece of hair from her face.

"I'm right here, baby. Momma is going to be here soon. We're going to figure this out love. You just have to stay strong baby. You're a fighter. I knew that the second that I met you. Right now you need to fight more than ever baby. You have to fight this, Callie."

Stef watched Callie. She looked like she was sleeping. Stef wanted nothing more than to be able to wake her up. But Callie wouldn't wake up, no matter what she did. Callie might never wake up again. She might never open those beautiful brown eyes on her own. And even if she did wake up, chances were that Callie would have permanent disabilities. There was no way that Callie would get out of this without some type of impairment.

A thought came to Stef's head that made her want to vomit. _Callie will never be Callie again. This morning was the last time that I got to talk to my daughter. It was the last time that I got to hug her and actually get a hug back. Callie's gone. Her body is here, but she's gone. How could this have happened? How could she be gone? We just adopted her! How can she be taken away from us like this!? How could be lose her like this!? I wish Robert would have just gotten custody! Maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he would have been able to protect her better than I was able to. Maybe she would still be alive._

Stef shakes her head out of her thoughts. "Stop! Callie isn't dead!"

Stef grabbed hold of Callie's hand with both of her hands. She kissed her hand and looked at her with tears in her eyes. "You're not dead Callie! You're still here! You're fighting! If you can fight, so can I! You're not alone in this. We're here for you baby. We're not giving up, so you can't either."

_We can't lose you Callie. We can't! We'll never be the same again. If you die, I don't know if we can survive it. I don't know I can survive it. _

_**Tyler and Brandon…**_

Tyler looked over at Brandon and saw that he was anxiously looking around, probably looking for his mom to come back.

"Hey, I'm sure your mom is going to be back really soon," Tyler tried to make Brandon feel better. "She's probably with Callie. You know, to make sure she's okay."

"She is okay!" Brandon exclaimed as he turned to look at Tyler. "I mean she has to be okay. She's Callie. She's the toughest person I know, aside from our mom."

"Yeah, I can tell. Callie was amazing out there. All she cared about was helping you and everyone on that bus. It was incredible."

"It was stupid!" Brandon exclaimed angrily.

Tyler looked at Brandon in surprise. He didn't understand how Brandon could be mad at Callie right now. "What do you mean it was stupid? Callie was trying to save everyone out there."

"Callie should have been worrying about herself! She should have made sure that she was okay instead of worrying about me and everyone else! She was worried about some strangers for God's sakes!"

"How can you be mad at her right now?" Tyler asked solemnly.

Brandon stayed quiet. "How could she be so careless," Brandon cried. "How could she think that we were more important than her?" Brandon was crying hysterically. He and Callie had a history together. It wasn't just a romantic relationship between him and Callie. She had become his best friend. He trusted her with anything. She was the person he went to whenever he had a problem, whenever he was feeling down, whenever he needed a shoulder to cry on. He loved her so much. He couldn't imagine living life without her.

"She didn't know that anything was wrong with her, Brandon," Tyler replied. "She didn't know that she was hurt. She thought she was fine. I know I don't know Callie very well, but I can tell that she's smart. If she had known something was seriously wrong with her she would have taken care of herself."

"That's the thing; she probably wouldn't have! That's the thing about Callie. She's selfless. She always puts others before herself. It's one of the things I love about her. But, right now it's also one of the things that I can't stand!"

"Brandon, she's going to be okay," Tyler assured Brandon confidently.

"You don't know that," Brandon responded as he looked down at his hands sadly. "She could die. She could die and it'll be my fault."

"Brandon, it's not your fault!"

"She was worried about me. That's why she was pushing herself so hard. She wanted to get help because she was worried about me."

"Because she's a good sister! You would have done the same thing for her, right?"

"Of course," Brandon quickly replied.

"Look, Brandon, ultimately there was something wrong with Callie. Even if she wasn't trying to help everyone else, she still would have needed help herself. You can't blame yourself here. No one is to blame. It was an accident."

_An accident._ Brandon thought about that for a moment. _The accident. We don't even know how or why the accident even happened. There is someone to blame for what's wrong with Callie right now. It's whoever caused this accident._

**Just to reiterate, this is not a Brallie (sorry Brallie shippers). Brandon is extremely upset about Callie, but it's supposed to be coming from a brother/best friend, not a lover. **

**Okay, I NEED feedback. I'm having a vote. I got an idea from a reader that suggested killing Callie off, but donating her organs. I personally will find it very hard writing this out since I really don't want to kill Callie off, but I want to know what you guys want to see. So, there are 3 options:**

**Option 1—Callie lives; she has to recover and relearn how to pretty much do everything which will be a long struggle for her **

**Option 2—Callie dies; her organs get donated and I would go into the family recovering from losing her**

**Option 3—Callie lives and has to recover (Option 1), but I write an alternate version where Callie does die (Option 2) and post it as a separate alternate version fanfiction. Again this is going to be extremely hard for me since I hate the idea of Callie dying at the end of this, but I'll do what I have to if it's something you guys want to read. **

**Please vote and let me know what you think… I really need your guys help**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	10. Chapter 9

**Sorry I haven't updated in a little while. I had a lot of family in town for my brother's graduation so I didn't have much time to update. But I'm back :)**

**Thanks for all reviews, favorites, and follows! **

**I appreciate everyone's vote. I'll definitely be taking all of the votes into consideration going ahead in the story. That being said, you'll have to wait and see to find out what direction the story is going to go :)**

Lena rushed through the ER entrance. After she had gotten done with meeting with the parents, the rest of the students had been sent home early. She unfortunately had to stay to ensure all of the students left the school safely, but the moment the rest of the students were accounted for she grabbed the rest of her kids and dropped them off at home. Mike agreed to stay with them until they found out how Brandon and Callie were doing. As soon as she dropped them off she got to the hospital as quickly as she could.

Lena still hadn't heard from Stef. She had gotten a text message from her to let her know she had gotten to the hospital, but that was over two hours ago. She knew that if Callie and Brandon were both okay she would have called her or at least sent her a text message so she could stop worrying. The fact that Stef still hadn't let her know the status of their children led her to believe that she didn't have good news.

As soon as Lena entered the ER she walked up to the receptionist. "Hi, I'm looking for Brandon Foster and Callie Adams Foster. I'm their mother, well one of them. My wife should already be here."

"Right, I remember her. Your son is in the ER main exam area. He's fine. He just has a mild concussion and some minor scrapes and bruises. Your wife was with him when she first came in but a nurse came down to get her so that she could meet with your daughter's surgeon."

"Callie had to have surgery? What kind of surgery? Is it serious?"

"She was taken in for an emergency craniotomy. She's in the ICU now. Your wife is with her. I can have a nurse bring you to her room if you'd like." The receptionist already knew that Callie's prognosis wasn't good. She was trying to do anything she could to make this day at least somewhat easier on both moms.

"Yes, please. That would be great."

"Let me just call the ICU so I can get one of the nurses on Callie's case down here."

_Callie's in the ICU. That means she's alive at least. But, the ICU is usually for patients in critical condition. Of course she's in critical condition. She just had brain surgery. What did you expect?_

_My God! Callie had to have brain surgery. How did this happen? How did this day go so wrong? I should have never persuaded Callie to go on this trip. If I hadn't she would be at home right now, safe. Instead she has to recover from a brain injury. I just hope this isn't as serious as I'm imagining. I hope she'll get through this without any issues. There are so many things that can happen with a traumatic brain injury. Either way, we are going to get Callie through this! She's going to be fine! She has to be._

**Callie's Hospital Room…**

Stef was still sitting by Callie's bedside, holding her hand. She couldn't get herself to stop staring at her. She didn't want to take an eye off of her daughter. She didn't want to risk missing anything that Callie might do.

Stef was desperately hoping that Callie would suddenly open her eyes or move her hand, anything that would prove the doctors wrong. Prove that Callie was going to be fine and that she wasn't brain dead.

"Baby, I don't know if you can hear me. But, I'm choosing to believe that you can. I just want you to know that Brandon is doing fine. He's worried sick about you, but physically he's going to be okay. I met your friend Tyler. He told me that you were quite the hero out there. I can't say I'm surprised." Stef smiled at Callie, wishing for her to smile back.

"That's one thing about you Callie. You always put others before yourself. I admire that about you. But, I got to be honest Cal. Right now I really wish you weren't so selfless. I wish you would have just taken care of yourself this time, love."

A light knock on the door interrupts Stef's "conversation" with Callie. The nurse that had brought Stef up to the ICU earlier opens the door and steps inside. "Mam, your wife is here."

Stef sighed to herself. _Dammit, how am I supposed to tell Lena about this? How do I tell her that our daughter might not wake up?_

As soon as Lena entered the room she and Stef hugged each other tightly. The nurse excused herself quietly and closed the door behind her.

"How's Callie?" Lena asked as she pulled out of the hug and looked over at Callie.

Stef stayed quiet. She didn't know how to break this to Lena. She knew that this news would break her heart. She couldn't stand having to be the one to break her heart.

"Stef? What's going on with Callie?"

"Callie's…" Stef couldn't seem to find her voice. She didn't want to be having this conversation. She wanted desperately for this to be a horrible dream. She wanted to wake up so badly.

"Stef, you're scaring me. Please, tell me what's wrong with Callie. How is she?"

"It's not good Lena," Stef cried. She wanted to stay strong for her wife. But she was hurting too. She felt like a piece of her heart was being torn from her chest and she didn't know how to stop it.

"What does that mean? Is she not going to recover completely?"

"She might not recover at all," Stef admitted in tears.

"Yes she can. We can get her the best help possible. It might take time but she can get through this. We'll get Callie through this."

"Lena, Callie might not wake up."

"What?"

"The doctor said that Callie had very little brain activity."

"What are you saying Stef?" Lena knew what Stef was trying to tell her, but she didn't want it to be true. She was in denial.

"I'm saying that Callie may be brain dead. The doctor's don't think she's going to wake up."

The cry that escaped Lena's mouth was heart wrenching. It was enough for Stef to lose control. Stef and Lena both held each other as they both cried to the reality that they might lose their daughter.

**The Adams Foster House…**

Mariana, Jesus, Jude, and Mike were seated at the table in the kitchen. Mike had ordered a pizza, but no one seemed to be able to eat. They were too worried about Callie and Brandon.

"Guys, you really should eat something. None of you had lunch," Mike tried to get the kids to eat, even though he himself didn't have much of an appetite.

"I'm not really hungry," Jesus said quietly.

"That's a first," Mike tried to joke. "Look, guys for all we know Callie and Brandon are both fine. We just have to wait to hear from your moms. "

"But, they've both been gone for a really long time. Shouldn't they know how Callie and Brandon are by now?" Mariana asked, worry evident in her voice.

"They're probably just distracted with making sure Callie and Brandon are okay. Knowing your moms, they're probably up the doctors' asses to make sure that they're being as thorough as possible."

Jude was hoping that Mike was right, but deep down he had this horrible feeling in his gut. He knew that something was seriously wrong with his sister.

**So, just got done watching the new Fosters episode. I think AJ is starting to grow on me so far. I guess we'll see how his storyline plays out. **

**All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all reviews, favorites, and follows! **

**HAPPY FOSTERS MONDAY! I cannot wait for tonight's new episode! **

**I'm sorry it took so long to update. I appreciate everyone that stuck around and waited so long for me to finally update. **

**(Callie's narration appears in italics)**

Stef and Lena couldn't take their eyes off of Callie. After sobbing into each other's arms for well over ten minutes they both took a seat by Callie's bedside. Both moms knew that the doctors weren't optimistic. They knew that the chances were high that Callie couldn't hear them or even be aware of their presence. But, both moms also had a strong sense of hope. Hope that their daughter could feel their presence and know that they were both right by her side, fighting for her.

Stef and Lena wanted to make sure that Callie knew that she wasn't alone. That they were by her side, waiting for her to pull through this.

Stef could tell that her wife was struggling. She was struggling too, but it was different for her. Stef was struggling with the feeling of helplessness. She couldn't stand it. She wanted so badly to fix Callie, but she didn't know how. She was lost. There was nothing she could do but wait and see. Lena was struggling with the same thing, but with the added feeling of guilt.

Stef knew it was all that was going through Lena's mind right now. She was adamant about Callie going on the trip. She knew that her wife felt that the current state of their daughter was her fault.

"Lena," Stef started but was interrupted by Lena.

"Don't," Lena dismissed Stef, not taking her eyes off of Callie for a second.

"Don't what?"

"Don't try to tell me that this isn't my fault when we both know that it is."

"It's not your fault, Lena."

"How can you say that, Stef?" Lena spoke vehemently, finally taking her eyes off of Callie and looking at Stef.

"Because it's the truth, Lena. You had no idea that this was going to happen. If you knew then you wouldn't have let Callie and Brandon go, you wouldn't have let any of the kids on that bus go. This isn't your fault Lena."

"Yes it is! Callie didn't even want to go! But, I insisted. I kept at her. I pushed her and pushed her until she gave in! This is my fault! Our daughter is lying in a hospital bed, brain dead, because of me!"

"Stop it!" Stef spat, trying to keep her voice down in front of Callie. "Callie doesn't need this! We need to be positive right now Lena! Callie can still pull through this."

"Stef, the doctor said…"

"I don't care what the doctor said!" Stef replied, a little too loudly. "We are Callie's moms! It's our job to have hope when no one else will. It's our job to try and pull Callie through this. We don't give up on our daughter, Lena. We never stop fighting for our daughter! Not ever! I won't and you shouldn't either!"

Lena stayed quiet for a moment. Stef was right. Lena was trying to be realistic. But, miracles happened every day. Their lives were full of miracles. Why should this be any different? Callie could still pull through this. They just needed to give it time. "You're right. Callie's strong. She's a fighter. If she can fight, so can we."

Stef sighed in relief as they both turned back to their daughter. Both moms held onto each other's hand while also holding onto Callie's hands, connecting the three of them. They would wait forever for Callie to give a squeeze back.

**BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP**

_What is that noise? It's so annoying, especially when you have the world's worse headache. Headache?_ Realization hit Callie, the entire day's events coming back to her. _ Oh my God! It's not just a headache. By brain! My brain was bleeding! Did they fix my brain!? I mean the last thing I remember they were going to try to fix my brain. How? I have no idea. But, they were going to try. Maybe it worked. I mean if I can hear, that must mean it worked. I mean, I must at least be alive. I just hope they fixed that talking problem. I couldn't imagine never talking again. That would suck. _

Slowly, Callie was becoming aware of the different sounds around her. She could hear the beeping of her monitor, signifying that her heart was still beating. She was starting to hear another noise. It sounded like a pump of some sort.

_That pump sounds familiar. I've heard it before. I know I've heard it before. Where have I heard that sound before? _

**KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK**

_Knocking, now I hear knocking. Who's knocking?_

"Ms. and Ms. Adams Foster, your son is asking for you both. He wanted to know how Callie's doing."

"Okay, thank you. One of us will be right there."

_Stef that was Stef! Stef is here. So, is Lena. And I'm assuming that by son she means Brandon! That means Brandon is okay! He's alive! I'm alive! Moms are here! Everything is going to be okay now. _

"I'll go," Stef spoke sadly. "I don't know what I should say to him."

"We shouldn't lie to him; to any of the kids. We're not giving up hope, but we still have to be straight with them about what's going on," Lena responded.

_Not giving up hope? Well that doesn't sound good. Why would they give up hope? Hope for what? What's going on?_

"I don't want to upset him," Stef responds.

_Upset him about what? I'm alive! We're both alive! He should be thrilled! _

"Just make sure that you assure him that there's still a chance that Callie will wake up and be fine. She can still pull through this."

_I am awake! Wait, everything is dark. Why is everything dark? I haven't opened my eyes. Duh, Callie! Come on, just open your eyes. Open your eyes so that everyone will know that I am awake and everything is fine now. Mom can go and tell Brandon that I'm fine and that there's no reason to be upset. _

_DAMMIT! Why can't I open my eyes?_

"I should call Mike too. I haven't had a chance to update him on anything."

"He's at the house with the rest of the kids."

"Okay, I'll be right back. I'll be right back Cal." Stef kissed Callie on the forehead before exiting the room.

_Okay, obviously I'm not as fine as I thought I was. Something is clearly wrong here. Moms are really starting to scare me. They're acting like I might die. Am I going to die?_

_Oh my God. That sound. I know what it is. I'm on life support. A machine is keeping me alive. If that's the case, that must mean I'm brain dead. _

_So then, I am dead. It's just that a machine is keeping me stuck inside of my body. I'm going to die! I'm seriously going to die! How did this happen!? This is so unfair! My life sucks! It's been one disaster after the other and now I'm going to die. I just got my forever family. How can I seriously be losing them already? This isn't fair! I don't want to go! I'm not ready to go! Why can't I stay? _

**All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks for all reviews, favorites, and follows! **

**I know it's been forever, since I've updated and if anyone is still following this story I'll be amazed, but I just didn't have the time or motivation to write. But, I'm definitely feeling the inspiration again so I'll be updating more frequently :) **

**(Callie's narration appears in italics)**

Stef was dreading telling Brandon about Callie. But, she knew he was probably going crazy right now. She just didn't want him to feel the heartache that she and Lena were feeling right now.

As Stef approached Brandon and Tyler, Brandon instantly looked at her expectantly. "Mom, how's Callie? Is she okay?"

Stef sighed as she sat down on the side of Brandon's hospital bed. "Callie had a really bad brain injury. She must have hit her head pretty hard when the bus crashed."

"Okay, but they fixed it right?"

Stef didn't know how to answer him. Technically, they did. But it just might have been too late.

"Please, mom. Tell me they fixed it."

Tyler could sense the hesitation in Stef. He could tell that she had bad news. He could just feel it in the pit of his stomach. How could someone he just met a few hours ago have such a big impact on him? He felt like crying. He didn't know Callie, but he knew she was an amazing person.

"Mom, please" Brandon pleaded as he began to cry. "Please tell me Callie is going to be okay!"

"I can't do that honey," Stef cried. "The doctors think that Callie might be brain dead."

Brandon looked down as he sobbed uncontrollably. Stef pulled Brandon into a hug as she sobbed with him. "Listen to me. We are not giving up on Callie. I know what the doctor said, but he doesn't know Callie like we do. Callie will fight to stay with us!"

"But, what if that's not good enough?"

"Then, we'll fight for her! Callie is going to come back to us! She has to."

**Callie's hospital room…**

_Okay, hold on. Calm down, Callie. Just take it easy! You're freaking out and you might not have to. Use some common sense here. If I were brain dead I wouldn't be able to hear everything that I'm hearing. I wouldn't be able to think the thoughts that I'm thinking right now. So maybe I'm not brain dead. Maybe the doctors just think I am. Maybe they made a mistake. Well, that's great. My doctors suck._

"Callie, I am so sorry," Lena sobbed.

_Why are you sorry? Wait, she can't hear me. Duh._

"I should have never forced you to go on that trip. I knew you didn't want to go, but I just wouldn't stop. If I had just listened to you none of this would be happening right now."

_Seriously, momma? She's blaming HERSELF for this!? That's ridiculous. She had no idea our bus would crash. _

"Callie, please fight! I need you to fight. We can't lose you. Not like this!"

_Maybe if she knows that I can hear her, it'll make them realize that I'm going to be okay. I'm just… Well honestly I don't know what the hell is going on. Maybe this is what being in a coma is like. You can hear everything around you, but you just can't wake up. It's like being trapped in your own body. Feels like hell to me!_

Stef came back into the room after being gone for fifteen minutes. Lena could tell that she had been crying more. "I take it Brandon was a mess," Lena stated understandingly. She knew how close Callie and Brandon had grown. She could imagine the pain her son was feeling. She wished she could take that away. She wished she could take away the pain that they all were feeling.

"Yeah, but I told him we're not giving up. I wanted to stay with him but I wanted to make sure I was here in case there was any change. Tyler is with him."

"Tyler?"

"Oh, he was the boy that called in the accident. He was with Callie before she passed out. He seems like a nice kid. Thinks the world of Callie." Stef smiled at that. Of course he would think the world of Callie. She just had that impact on people.

"Well, she is pretty great," Lena smiled for the first time since she got the call from Stef that morning.

_Poor Brandon. God, I wish I could tell him that I'm going to be fine! I wish I could tell all of them!_

"Did you get a hold of Mike?"

"Yeah, I told him about Callie. He's just going to tell the kids that Callie had to have surgery. I think it's better if we tell them. He's bringing them here, so they should be here in the next hour."

"How did this happen?" Lena asked after a beat. "How did we go from being a happy family this morning to possibly losing our daughter? How?"

"I don't know. I keep asking myself the same thing. It doesn't feel real. None of this feels real."

_I have to show them that I'm still here. I have to do something! Anything!_

"What do we do, Stef?"

"I don't know Lena. I'm just trying to have hope here."

"I am too. But, I can't stand the thought of Callie suffering because we're not willing to let her go. I don't want that for her. I don't want to just hold onto Callie's body when it's not really Callie anymore."

Stef knew that Lena was right. She didn't want that for Callie either. If it came to it she would want to pull the plug. She didn't just want Callie's body. She wanted Callie. "I just don't think we're there yet. If she gets worse, then we have to discuss what to do. But, until then I just want to sit with her and hold our baby's hand." Stef grabbed hold of Callie's other hand, while Lena still held her other hand in hers.

_Come on Callie! Move! I can do this! I have to! They're talking about pulling the plug! They don't have to do that! I can get through this! Just do it! Just move! Dammit! I can't even tell if I'm moving or not! This is so screwed up!_

Stef and Lena sat in a comfortable silence, holding Callie's hands. For a brief moment, Stef could have sworn she felt Callie's finger twitch. She quickly sat up, alerting Lena.

"What is it?" Lena asked.

Stef stared at Callie's hand, but nothing happened. "Nothing," Stef sighed. "I just thought I felt her move."

_I moved! I moved! Okay! Do it again! I can do this! I can do this! Move your hand Callie!_

"Callie, honey, can you hear us?" Stef asked hopefully. "Please, baby if you can hear us, show us. Please, try."

It was a movement so minor that they almost missed it. If they hadn't have both been staring at Callie's hands they would have thought the other had imagined it. But they both saw it. Callie had moved her finger.

**Callie moved! The moms know she can hear them. But, Callie's not out of the woods yet. She still has a tough, long road ahead of her. Expect a time jump soon, possibly next chapter. Not a big time jump though, very small one actually. **

**All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks for all reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys are amazing motivators! **

**(Callie's narration appears in italics)**

**1 Week Later…**

Over the past week Stef and Lena had made it a point to make sure that at least one of them was always with Callie. She still hadn't woken up, but Dr. Gallagher was more optimistic that she eventually would. According to him, Callie's brain had a lot of healing to do. Callie's body needed to focus on healing her brain. Callie would wake up once her brain wasn't in need of so much energy.

_This week has been the most boring week ever! I have done nothing but lay here! Nothing but lay here, allowing my body to "focus on healing my brain." Those were the doctor's words, not mine. I've heard him say it several times now to my moms. I would kill to do just about anything right now! Well, at least I've been able to hear everything everyone has been saying to me. They're talking to me like I'm actually awake, which is a little reassuring that I will at some point be able to wake up. _

_One good thing about being trapped in my own head is that I've had a lot of time to think about things. A LOT of things! One thing I can't stop thinking about is the accident. I keep wondering if anyone died. No one is telling me anything about that obviously. Brandon is okay; I know that much is true. He talked to me for a long time. I'm pretty sure he's mad at me. He seemed mad. I think he wishes he were the one lying in this bed. I think a part of him feels guilty for being okay. That's a ridiculous thought, but I would probably be thinking the same thing if I were in his shoes. _

"Hey, Callie"

_Mariana_

"It's me, Mariana," Mariana spoke softly.

_I know_

"You look a little bit better today. Moms are talking to your doctor right now. I think they're trying to find out why you're taking so long to wake up."

_My brain hasn't healed enough. Therefore, my body is keeping itself in a coma in order to give my brain the time it needs to recuperate. I would tell you this if I could, but I can't. I don't know why moms are asking that again. The doctor isn't going to change his answer. _

"I'm pretty sure Dr. Gallagher is just going to say the same thing. You're just not ready to yet."

_Oh no. She sounds sad. Please don't cry Mariana. I can't comfort you right now and if you cry I'm probably going to cry. Wait, can I cry? I haven't tried that yet._

"Please, Callie. Please be ready to wake up soon. I really need you to wake up." Mariana tried to contain herself as a few tears threatened to fall.

_I really want to Mariana. You have no idea how much I want to wake up._

"I'm sorry. I can't cry. Moms told me to try not to cry in front of you. They're worried that might freak you out."

_How do they expect you to do that? _

"How can I not cry though? I mean, seeing my sister hooked up to a bunch of machines. Seeing you, but not being able to talk to you. Well, not being able to have you talk back to me." Mariana couldn't hold it back any longer. The tears that were threatening to fall were now streaming steadily down her face.

_Don't cry Mariana!_

"Please, wake up Callie," Mariana cried. "Now that I've had you in my life, I can't imagine it without you in it. So, you have to wake up! You have to!"

Mariana stopped in awe as she saw Callie's eyes slowly open.

**Dr. Gallagher's office…**

"It's been a week," Stef stated. "Is that normal? Do patients wake up okay after being in a coma for longer than a week?"

"Honestly, I've seen patients wake up fine after much longer. A week is nothing really."

"So, you're saying Callie could be in a coma for much longer?" Lena asked concerned.

"I'm saying it's really up to Callie now. Look, we don't know the extents of Callie's brain injury and we're not going to know the extent until she wakes up. When will that be? I wish I could give you a clear answer. But the truth is I don't know when she's going to wake up."

"So, we just have to wait and see," Stef sighed in frustration. The waiting was killing her.

"Unfortunately, yes. But, the good news is I do think that Callie will wake up. The fact that she's showing obvious signs that she can hear you is a good sign that she will. What concerns me is how she'll wake up."

"What do you mean?" Lena asked.

"Callie may wake up with deficits. She might not be able to talk. She might not be able to eat on her own. She might have to relearn how to do everything. She'll most likely need physical therapy. She could also suffer from seizures for the rest of her life. We just don't know at this point. Callie's brain bleed was quite large and we got in there as soon as we could. But that doesn't negate the fact that her brain withstood a lot of pressure for a great amount of time."

"You don't sound very optimistic," Stef stated with an edge to her voice. She was tired of Dr. Gallagher only focusing on worse case scenarios. If they had listened to him a week ago they may have taken Callie off of life support. Her daughter was a fighter and she would fight this. "I mean, what are your credentials anyway?"

Dr. Gallagher paused before answering. He understood why Stef would question him. This was their child he was talking about. "I can assure you, I am very qualified to be your daughter's doctor."

"Are you?" Stef questioned. "Because I'm pretty sure it was you that said she was brain dead a week ago. Now you think she'll wake up, but she'll have deficits."

"I said that she had very minimal brain activity and that it was unlikely that she would wake up, but your daughter has defeated the odds. She's been extremely lucky so far. I've seen patients with smaller brain bleeds than Callie that never make it off the table. I was not wrong about Callie's prognosis; I just underestimated how resilient your daughter would be."

Dr. Gallagher was definitely right about that. Callie was very resilient.

Before anyone could continue, the door swung open.

"Moms!" Mariana exclaimed.

"Honey, what is it?" Lena asked urgently.

"Callie's awake! She opened her eyes! She's awake!"

**All reviews, feedback, and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. **

**Thanks for reading :)**


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